FLVS and the Coming App Storm

Bryan Setser, CEO, North Carolina Virtual Public School says that in theory there is a strong need to do something like build your own app for school. Problem is that every system has its own budget need, and it has got different learning objectives. You have to assess what can you do cheaply, or what can you do by outsourcing. In reality, we’re still talking about costs, and costs will still be a decider.

Are publishers of education materials late to the game? Are they doing it right?

In her keynote lunch speech, Julie Young, CEO of Florida Virtual School, confirms what I had heard near their booth today at #vss2010. They are aggressively moving towards putting their learning content on mobile, and they are developing apps as a way to build revenue streams for what is normally a “free” content offering in public education.

For a nationwide program, this could be big news, and it’s one of the reasons why I am asking out loud about publishers and content delivery companies.

What companies out there are partnering with Education systems / LMSs like FLVS and building education apps that are being used to deliver instruction? If you know, tell us. Leave a comment or Twitter with us @edreformer

I talked to Martin Horejsi, Associate Professor at the University of Montanta — Missoula about education publishing and he said, “Look at the BBC app. It’s a book. That’s the new textbook.” He also said that he calls the stage we are in now “a hybrid development stage.” We are building things that look like the old system, but we are putting the old system on new infrastructure. At some point, you will see something you never saw before, and it’s going to work out something like the education apps you see now.

Where will the next apps come from for mobile student learning? If you know of education companies that are partnering with apps builders in this environment, we want to talk to you, them, and related parties. In my thinking, this is the dark horse in the race, but it’s moving very fast, and companies that are not building apps into their LMS structure, or offerings are going to go the same way as print-only publishers.